


Christmas Traditions

by PotionsMistressM



Category: Labyrinth (1986)
Genre: Christmas, Established Relationship, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-26
Updated: 2016-12-26
Packaged: 2018-09-12 06:09:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9058963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PotionsMistressM/pseuds/PotionsMistressM
Summary: Sarah/Jareth Christmas fluff involving Sarah showing him the traditions from our world





	

"And what is wrong with the trees as they are outside of the castle?" 

Sarah sighed. She couldn't decide whether he was being purposely belligerent or if he was genuinely confused, but either way his official Goblin King face was in full force this morning despite his promise that he would try to make her first Christmas spent Underground as much like it would be at home as possible.

"It's a tradition," she explained, trying to keep the disappointed and childish whine out of her voice. She knew that Jareth's fellow royals were not very happy with his choice of her as a Queen Consort, but she was trying- _she really was_! "You bring a tree inside of the house to represent hope and love and how life never ends even in the dead of winter!" She hoped that was what it represented. She'd never really thought about it despite singing “O Christmas Tree” probably a hundred times in her life. Plus, her family had always had a big, artificial one anyway. Irene had allergies, Sarah thought with a mental eye roll.

"Humans celebrate unending life by _cutting down and killing_ a tree and then standing said dead tree in the middle of their parlor?" Jareth asked clearly incredulous, all crossed arms and arched eyebrows. Sarah huffed out a huge breath and threw up her arms.

"I guess. There are lights and ornaments and stuff, too. I don't know..." She rubbed her eyes and held her head in her hands. It was too early, and he was too smart, and too much the King and she was never going to win an argument.

And she was genuinely surprised when she heard his gentle, musical laughter and felt him take her in his arms and place a kiss on the top of her head.

"Of course we'll get you your tree, love. Where else am I supposed to leave all of your gifts?"

xxXXxx

Although she was on better terms with the Labyrinth these days, it was still not Sarah's favorite place to be. So when Jareth had insisted that she join him there this evening she had agreed, but she hadn't been able to squelch the growing feeling of dread in the pit of her stomach. She knew he wouldn't hurt her, but still... That place still gave her the creeps.

She met up with him just as the sun was setting, and she couldn't help the grin that broke out over her face at the site of him. He really was beautiful, standing there with all the colors of the gathering twilight in his wild hair. Darkness came on fast in the Underground, and after exchanging some pleasantries and catching up on how each other's day had gone full dark was upon them.

"So why did you ask me to meet you here?" she asked, secretly hoping he hadn't recently acquired a Labyrinth kink. She really didn't think she could do that. The moonlight showed his smile as he took her hand.

"I've been researching this holiday you've been telling me about."

"Christmas, yeah." Sarah raised an eyebrow, suspicious; he had showed little to no interest in Christmas up to now. Except for the gifts, of course. Where could he possibly be going with this? 

"And I learned that a traditional part of this holiday is decorating one's lawn."

 _Oh, Lord._ Sarah fought back a wave of hysterical giggles. As far as Jareth and the Labyrinth were concerned, that concept could mean… well… almost anything. She braced herself.

With a wave of Jareth's hand, the Labyrinth was immediately lit up with thousands and thousands of tiny white lights, and for a moment Sarah actually had to shield her eyes. When she blinked there was only a bright white afterimage. She giggled (happily, not hysterically) and squeezed his hand.

"It's perfect," she said, turning to kiss his cheek. "Thank you."

xxXXxx

"It's a parasite."

"It's a tradition."

"It's ridiculous. I gave you your tree, but this is too much. You humans have the most idiotic traditions. The pixies nest in this, you know."

"It's an excuse to kiss me for no other reason than because there's a plant hanging from the ceiling."

"Fine," he relented, huffing out a rather tortured sigh and rolling his eyes. "Hang your bloody mistletoe."

Sarah smiled and kissed his cheek. She'd won, just like she'd known she would. "Thank you, Jareth."

xxXXxx

He couldn't seem to resist touching his face, no matter how many times he did it and was rudely reminded that there was flour on his hands. _This is so stupid,_ he grumbled inside his head for the millionth time. "Tell me again why we're doing this when we have servants?"

His Queen merely gave him a long-suffering glance and brushed the hair off of her forehead with the back of her wrist ( _so_ that's _how you manage to not get the bloody flour all over yourself!_ ). "Because this is fun," she answered, the sweet smile on her face not quite hiding the mischievous glint in her eyes that let him know she knew how much he was _not_ enjoying their afternoon activity but that if he was good he may be rewarded later.

"Oh, yes, quite," he mumbled, but kept kneading or rolling or shaping or cutting or whatever it was he was supposed to be doing. To be completely honest, he had no idea- he was randomly touching the rapidly hardening lump of dough in front of him just enough to keep Sarah from yelling at him. He would leave the heavy lifting to Sarah. Anyone who ate Christmas cookies made by him would probably be dead by Boxing Day.

He watched as Sarah grabbed a batch of finished cookies from the oven. They smelled good, like vanilla and sugar, though he still maintained that they could have saved a vast amount of time if she had not insisted on forming them into little stars and bells and trees. Cookies were for eating, after all- not looking at. And now that they were done Jareth's spirits lifted. Could they possibly done with this silly endeavor?

"And now for the fun part!" Sarah announced.

"There's more?" he asked, all hope depleted as he saw the glee on Sarah's face.

"Of course," she said matter-of-factly. "Decorating Christmas cookies is the very best part! There's icing and sprinkles and all kinds of candy! Oh, Jareth, it's so much fun!"

xxXXxx

It had never snowed in the Goblin City before, and to be honest, its inhabitants were less than enthused about the precipitation’s sudden appearance. But after weeks of hearing Sarah’s wistful and lonely renditions of “White Christmas” when she thought no one was listening (usually when she was in the shower or bath), Jareth knew that something had to be done. He had dropped tiny hints now and again, asking her about her fondest Christmas memories and the things she liked to do outside this time of year, and invariably her answers all came back to things that involved the snow: sledding, skiing, snowball fights, building snowmen, making snow angels, even sitting inside by a window and reading while the snow fell outside. It seemed that snow was an integral part of what Sarah considered her perfect holiday, and so he set about making sure she would have it. He had, after all, moved stars for her. It shouldn’t be so hard to create a little frozen water.

He made sure it was the first thing she saw when she woke up on Christmas morning. Not the presents (of which there were many, maybe a hundred- he’d lost count), not the tree)- the snow. He’d made sure she was turned toward the window in her sleep, and every time she tried to turn into his warmth he refused and turned her back around. It got to be a bit annoying, actually, since it seemed she would be sleeping in this Christmas morning (Jareth could have sworn he’d read that humans woke up early on Christmas mornings), but eventually she began to stir, and he gently kissed her shoulder, excited for her to see the frosty window.

She tried to turn around to say good morning to him, but Jareth held her tight. For a moment she was confused, until her eyes focused and she took in the sight before her. Jareth could feel her gasp as he held her, and a smile spread across his face as he squeezed her tighter and kissed the back of her neck.

“Merry Christmas, Sarah.”


End file.
